


Heavy and Light

by EmeraldWaves



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, I love Prompto so much and just had to do this, M/M, Prompto centric, Promptober, Promptoweek Day 7, birthday fic, but then fluff, some self-hatred at the beginning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-23 03:59:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12498272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldWaves/pseuds/EmeraldWaves
Summary: There was a time when Prompto felt as though the world was pressing in on him, his body trapped and heavy. Now, he feels as though he's flying, free and light.





	Heavy and Light

Mirrors weren't kind to Prompto. He often spiraled looking at them, looking at himself. It always felt like a shock, as though he was meeting some stranger's eye he hadn't seen before. But after a minute or so of blank staring, he would finally accept that it was, in fact, himself.

Every roll of skin, every freckle, every piece of blond hair, it all belonged to him. And who was he really? Certainly not a person who was deserving of being friends with a _prince_.

His pushed his finger under his wristband, tugging on the soft material as he brushed over his skin. It always felt as though he could feel the strange tattoo there, like his skin was raised slightly where the black bars sat. This wasn't the case however, the mark was buried deep into his pale wrist.

He reached his hand forward, pressing his round fingertips against the cool glass. He'd confirmed it, the person in this mirror was definitely himself. Against the mirror, his hand felt heavy. His body felt heavy. Heavy. That was what he was. He imagined getting pulled in, dragged down, forced to look at himself for eternity; to face the horrible, disgusting creature he was. And yet when he shut his eyes, all he could see was Noctis' face, his strained, struggling face as he tried to help Prompto stand up.

Embarrassing.

Did Lady Lunafreya really expect someone like him to watch over the Prince?

His eyes shot open, and he met his own gaze in the mirror once more. He pulled his hand off of the glass surface. Small gray smudges sat where his fingertips had been.

There were plenty of adjectives he could've used to describe himself, barely any of them friendly. So instead he raised his camera, clicked the button, and captured his reflection in the mirror forever. He pulled a large breath of air in through his lungs. Soon. Soon he would be a year older, his birthday just around the corner. Soon, he'd be heading to high school, and maybe soon he would have nice things to say when he stared at himself in front of his long-time enemy, the mirror.

~~

The next morning it was raining. Prompto could tell before even looking out the window. His normally quiet room was filled with the sound of tiny droplets pattering against the window, and even inside he could smell the slight dampness in the air. Sitting up on his bed, he pulled his curtain to the side, letting out a deflating sigh.

He stepped out of bed, glaring at the window, then directed his glare at the mirror. It seemed the world was keen on him making enemies lately. Difficult, when all he wanted was friends.

He groaned as he wiggled his head through the tiny hole of the rain poncho, and he yanked it down to cover his body. He'd made a pact, and a little rain wasn't about to stop him.

The truth was, Prompto hated running. He hated the way his lungs felt tight, as though the air wasn't quite making it into his body. He hated the way his feet vibrated against the pavement with every step he jogged. And he especially hated how every movement of his muscle seemed to ache more and more the longer he ran.

Today was especially painful, as the rain soaked his shoes. With each step, he could hear the squelching of water against his feet, his socks damp and cold. His stupid glasses were covered in water, and every time tried to wipe them off on his shirt, it only smudged them more, making them wetter and harder to see out of.

His normal route was about two miles, running through the town, by the river near his family's apartment. But today, he barely made it one mile, stopping by the riverbank. His hands fell to his thighs, his body heaving as he tried desperately to catch his breath. He trudged to the side, letting himself collapse against the wet ground.

Prompto was already soaked, the poncho doing little to protect his body from the downpour, so he didn't care when he laid back against the grass and turned his face up to the sky. Raindrops pelted him in the face, the tiny splashes of water hitting his cheeks, his forehead, his glasses. As he tried to breathe, his chest heaved, tears rolling down his face.

That was the one good thing about rain; it hid all his emotions.

"I hate..." he began to speak, not sure how to end the sentence. He hated the rain? The running? Himself? All were viable options.

He shut his eyes, letting the cold water splash onto his face. What would it be like if he was actually friends with Noctis? He wondered what they would do together?

In his mind, the sun shone bright as they walked home from school together. Prompto would show Noctis photos he'd taken throughout the day, share all the different shots. He'd probably have a few of Noctis, and the Prince wouldn't mind because they're friends, and he would know Prompto loves taking pictures more than anything. They could talk about girls, especially Lady Lunafreya, and Noctis would get embarrassed anytime Prompto asked questions, even if eventually he'd begrudgingly answer.

Sometimes they'd study together, even if they didn't want to. And when one of them would get distracted, the other would decide it was time for a break, and they'd play some video games together. At first, Prompto would let Noctis win, you know, to impress the Prince. But later, Prompto would kick some serious ass, and Noctis would be even more impressed.

He imagined running along the river, both of them racing to see who could get to the other end of the embankment first. He heard Noctis liked fishing, so maybe they'd even fish together. It would probably be boring, but Prompto wouldn't mind cause hey, he'd be hanging out with his best friend. And they could do all sorts of outdoorsy things together. They could climb a tree; Prompto had never done that before. Maybe, if they were really lucky, they could even ride Chocobos together!

In his mind he could hear plenty of laughter, a resonating sound in his head. They'd have inside jokes, so many they wouldn't even remember them all. And one day, Noctis would invite Prompto inside the palace. He would, of course, have to do his best to look like royalty. He couldn't simply go to the palace looking like a normal guy. His parents would be home and his dad would help him pick out a suit, and it would look _good_ , and he wouldn't hate buttoning up each button.

On his birthday, Noctis would come over, and he'd bring some sort of cool, princely present. His mother would make his favorite homemade cake, yellow, with chocolate and strawberry frosting. They'd all sing to him, even Noctis, though he'd probably mumble it rather than actually sing.

His eyes shot open, a shiver running down the back of his spine from the rain still pouring on his face. What a creep he was, imaging what his life would be like if Noctis were his friend. But he wanted it to be true...more than anything. He didn’t want to let Lady Lunafreya down. 

He pushed himself up, ignoring the aches in his muscles, and the way his heart still throbbed from the exertion. Standing fully, he let out a determined yell, as he continued running along the path by the riverside.

He ran an extra mile that day.

~~

A sneeze erupted from his body as he sat, alone, at the small table in the middle of his apartment. He should've known running through the rain wasn't the best way to stay healthy. It was only too bad he was sick on his birthday.

Prompto didn't care all that much for his birthday. Or well, he hadn't in years. His parents were never home for it, and though they usually sent a card, and some money for him to buy a cake, it wasn't the same as actually celebrating with people.

Normally he would wake up, go to the bakery down the street, and buy himself a large cake. He'd take a picture of it, to show his parents later, and he'd probably lie and say he had a few friends over.

But today, he had a fever, and though the money and birthday card were sitting on his table after he'd retrieved them, he didn't feel like going anywhere. Then again, having cake on his birthday was a tradition.

He thought about the bakery, and how delicious their cakes were. The yellow moist cake which melted in his mouth, the soft buttercream frosting that tasted like sugary heaven...and sometimes they'd top it with cute, juicy strawberries. His mouth began watering just thinking about how delicious it would be.

He sneezed, and Prompto's fantasy quickly turned into a nightmare as he imagined the Prince, once again reaching his hand to help him up, his face straining to help him up. There was no way Noctis would be able to pull Prompto up with how heavy he was.

_Heavy._

The word kept repeating over and over. It grew louder and louder and pounded against his eardrums like the pouring rain against the window. His head throbbed, and he covered his ears, letting out a choked sob.

Taking a deep breath, he made his way to the kitchen and pulled out a bowl. Opening the fridge, he grabbed some lettuce, carrots, onions, salad dressing...

It only took Prompto about five minutes to toss a salad together, mixing everything into the bowl. He carried the large bowl over to the table, and stared at the green concoction. It smelled fresh, but Prompto's lips still curled slightly downward, displeased with his choice.

A small sigh escaped his lips. "Happy Birthday to me."

~~

"Prom! Hey, Prom, wake up."

The voice wasn't loud, and it almost sounded lazy, as though it wasn't quite sold on actually getting him awake. However, Prompto heard it, clear enough that he let out a groan, rolling over.

"Noctttttt, five more minutes," he grumbled, sitting up slowly. A yawn left his lips, his blond hair messily tousled to the side.

"Nah, Ignis already gave you an extra hour since it's your birthday."

Glancing at his phone, Prompto pushed the button to light up the screen. 8:00 A.M. "Woooow, 8 A.M. instead of 7, I'm so grateful," he grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"You should be," Noctis said, folding his arms. They both knew between the two of them, Noctis was the one who always wanted to sleep in and was impossible to wake up.

"Aw c'mon," Prompto smirked. "Don't be jealous." Reaching forward he poked at Noctis' cheek, but Noctis quickly swatted his finger away.

"Cut it out!" Noctis said, laughing as he turned back to his bag, pulling out a small box. "Anyway, I... got you this," he said, clearing his throat as he did. His cheeks were a little pink, his gaze fixated on the opening flap of the tent gently tapping against the fabric in the breeze. Noctis flicked his dark gaze back towards Prompto.

He held the tiny box in his hands, watching as Noctis awkwardly decided where to focus his eyes. Noct was so damn cute sometimes, and every part of Prompto was screaming internally. A present from his best friend; he never asked for anything, but after Noctis figured out when his birthday was, without fail, he always got Prompto something. Even now, on this long road trip, he'd taken the time...

Noctis was even better than the best friend Prompto always imagined as a kid. And it wasn't just because of small presents like this.

They played video games, they laughed, they traveled, Noctis let Prompto take all the pictures he wanted, and Prompto put up with Noctis' love of fishing. Hell, they'd even gotten to ride Chocobos together. How was he so damn lucky? Wrapping his hands around the tiny box, Prompto felt himself tremble, tears threatening to escape from his blue eyes.

"...Prom? You okay?" Noctis said quietly, concern suddenly laced in his tone.

Okay? Of course he was okay! Noctis didn't need to get him a present. Noctis didn't really need to do anything, but here he was sitting across from him, the first thing Prompto saw when he woke up, and never had he felt so lucky. Really, he had the best present of all.

"Y-Yeah..." he said, quickly wiping his eye. “Just...happy is all.”

Noctis raised an eyebrow. "You gonna...open it?" he asked, eyeing the box.

"Oh! R-Right," he said, shaking his head. Sometimes it was hard to remember this was his reality.

Slowly lifting the lid, he opened the box to pull out a small, golden Chocobo pin. It had a cartoon look, and the bird was smiling, it's wing swooping upwards as though it was waving. Immediately, Prompto began to smile.

"It's small, I saw it at Wiz's... but I, uh," Noctis muttered, as though he felt the need to talk down his thoughtfulness.

Instead, Prompto flung his arms around Noctis' neck. "I love it," he said, clinging to his best friend.

"Really?"

Prompto pulled back and nodded. There were so many other things he could've said to Noctis right then, so many things he wished for the other to know. His heart was overwhelmed with emotions and he wished to tell them all to Noctis, but he knew the other wasn't good with words.

Cupping Noctis' cheeks, Prompto pulled Noctis in close, brushing their lips together. Kissing wasn't something they got to do often, and they only did it during moments like this, when they were alone, in private. When they did, Prompto loved everything about them. He loved Noctis' slightly dry lips, the way he tugged on Prompto's lower right before pulling away with a gentle smack. This kiss, lasted a bit longer, Prompto pouring his thanks into the pressure on Noctis' lips. Kissing Noctis made his heart soar, his body _light_.

"Yeah, I really love it," he repeated, looking into Noctis' deep blue eyes. And both of them knew nothing else needed to be said.

Prompto hated to pull away completely, if he could've had his way, he would've stayed right there with Noctis, laying in the tent all day, but he knew Gladio and Ignis would never approve. He took the pin, placing it on the pocket of his vest. "How's it look?"

"Perfect," Noctis chuckled.

Slinging his arm around Noctis' neck, Prompto pulled him out of the tent. Gladio had already packed up most of the car for their trek back to Hammerhead, minus the tent. "You know, I think Ignis has a secret plan to borrow the kitchen at Takka's to make you a cake. Don't tell him I told you," Noctis smirked.

"Oh really?" Prompto snickered, looking excited. It'd been so damn long since he'd had a good cake. "You know, one year I made myself a salad for my birthday, instead of a cake."

Noctis paused, looking horrified, his nose wrinkling up. "Ew... who allowed that to happen?"

"Well, my parents weren't around so I kinda was on my own," Prompto said, rubbing his neck. "It was back when... you know," he coughed, "I was trying to lose weight, so I didn't wanna mess up my diet."

"Still, salads should be illegal," Noctis said. "I'm never letting you do that again."

"Good," Prompto smiled.

"Alright you two, get goin' or Iggy's gonna be upset. He wants to get to Hammerhead at a decent time," Gladio said, stepping up onto the main campground to pull down the tent.

"Oh ho ho, wonder why?" Prompto hummed, until Noctis elbowed his side, glaring.

"Noct! Prompto! We have to get moving!" Ignis called, waving his hand from the car.

With a smirk, he turned towards Noct. "Race ya' to the car?"

"You're on!"

They took off running and Prompto couldn't help but laugh. He liked running now, the way his feet bounced off the ground with each step he took, the wind blowing through his hair as he dashed towards the car, hoping to beat Noctis. He felt alive; he felt light.

 _Light_.

By high school, so many things had changed. Mirrors didn't hate Prompto anymore, or rather he didn't mind looking at them. Now, he even saw himself, the person he wanted to be. A person who still wasn't completely worthy of being the Prince's best friend, but good enough. Now, years later, Noctis had slowly become his best friend, the person Prompto loved more than anyone else. And along with Noctis, he'd even gained other friends who cared about him.

That night, when he took a bite of Ignis' sweet vanilla cake, Prompto thought he was probably the luckiest person alive.

"It's delicious," he sighed, the cake melting in his mouth, so similar to the cakes he had loved all those years ago.

"Splendid!" Ignis said, the rest of the boys grabbing a piece.

"To Prompto!" Gladio cheered, taking a large forkful into his mouth.

"Yeah, Happy Birthday Prompto," Noctis nodded, their eyes meeting. It was nice not to have to say it to himself.

"Thanks guys!" he smiled, Looking at the other boys, Prompto made his one birthday wish; that things could stay like this for forever. It was unrealistic, he knew that, but deep in his heart, he wanted nothing else. He ate the fluffy cake, could tell it was made with love, and the pin on his vest was pressed close to his heart. 

His body felt the lightest it ever had.

**Author's Note:**

> So Prompto is a character that is very close to my heart. I know that probably sounds lame LOL, but he means a lot to me. His backstory, and just all the time he spends with the other chocobros...I just connected to him alot. SO of course for his birthday, I needed to write SOMETHING. I'm not really sure what this fic is, but I had a lot of feelings and this was what happened. At some point I'd love to write Promptis smut...coming soon? I guess? Nyx read part of this for me and helped me figure out a direction so thank you <33 But I did beta this myself cause I was so late finishing things up, sorry for any mistakes!! 
> 
> [emeraldwaves](http://emeraldwaves.tumblr.com/) is my tumblr where i write random stuff  
> [musickazoo](https://twitter.com/musickazoo) is my twitter if you wanna yell about FF with me!!!


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